********************

The Empress Luna

********************

"Perhaps, my new daughter-in-law could stay into Sloth's Kingdom for now to avoid another fight." Tilting her head, Queen Jezebel mused as she looked at the three of them—no, it was four of them—over.

Now, that the time was up as shown from the Queen's hourglass, it vanished from her hand as she stood up with careless elegance.

The Demon King and the other older man –who was probably King Lucifer's brother, Ravin and Luxen's uncle, and Luna's future mentor—also followed Queen Jezebel's lead.

"I—"

Luna was about to say something regarding the Queen's decision, but Sloth had interrupted in a loud voice.

"But I just got here, mother." Sloth's shoulders drooped as he pouted like a child in front of Queen Jezebel.

The Archdemon of Sloth leaned forward and placed his hands on the horse's neck, and swung his leg up and over the hunches."You aren't even curious about my gift to my brother's new wife?"

Because of that huge rainbow-colored egg heavily strapped behind his back, Sloth almost lost his balance as he dismounted.

Luxen had to hold him by his shirt the moment his feet touched the ground.

Sloth had his head lowered for a long minute, too fixated on his feet as if he was still looking for the cause of his imbalance.

Luxen caught his attention by shaking him.

Sloth glanced up at his brother with hooded green eyes as if he was in a dream.

Luna wasn't surprised that he was the Archdemon of Sloth because he had a prolonged reaction time.

If this man had lived in the Vampire Realm with that kind of persona, Luna would assume he was blood-drunk or had eaten too many mushrooms that had caused the poor guy to hallucinate.

She wasn't even sure if the man had kept up with the conversation when Queen Jezebel had proclaimed that Luna would stay in his Kingdom.

As if Luxen had divined Luna's thoughts, he asked Sloth a question. "Did you hear what mother said, Sloth?"

Luxen gave Luna the briefest of glances. "My wife will be your guest tonight while Ravin and I sorted this on how we would share her by tomorrow."

"Uh—"Frowning, Sloth had pressed his lips into a stern line of aloofness. "So, nobody wanted to see my gift to this Lune?"

"It's Luna, Archdemon." Rolling her eyes, Luna corrected him, and she almost regretted it, for everyone had looked at her like she had grown horns.

She couldn't help it, though. "And you asked that question twice."

Sloth tilted his head at her."So, you are counting?"

Luna might slightly understand why Queen Jezebel suggested that she stayed with the Archdemon of Sloth.

He was like a very slow kid—in all areas.

Perhaps, Sloth was harmless like the other Archdemons made out to be in the sense that he was too lazy to plot about everyone's downfall.

Luna closed her eyes, wondering when this will end.

She had kept her silence while she was in this unknown territory.

Luna had to tiptoe around the proverbial eggshells.

Queen Jezebel's voice was a command that filled the quiet room. "Will you agree to this, Ravin?"

"I guess I had no choice for now." Ravin nodded in agreement. "Our wife needed rest, and if she stayed away from us for the meantime, then I guess it will be alright as long as she didn't leave Hell. Luxen and I will talk about our future arrangements."

"I wouldn't let Luna in Luxen's Castle while Lilith frequently visited him." The Archdemon of Gluttony let out a loose breath in concern. "I don't know what Lilith is capable of, now that she had failed with her soul possession, so I need to keep Luna safe."

"I guess I had no choice but to agree also." A smile stretched across Luxen's lips as he watched Luna. "It will be unfair for me to let her stay with Ravin when they were together in the Dream Realm, and my bastard brother didn't invite me to the damned party."

You're no fun, brother!" Luxen took a few sideways steps before he grabbed Luna's elbow behind Ravin. "Let me hug my wife before she goes with Sloth."

Archdemons not arguing and fighting?

Was she, perhaps, on the wrong side of Hell?

Luna felt the Archdemon of Lust squeezed her soul from this tight hug that it almost crushed her bones.

Luxen was too strong, and she wondered if he secretly wanted to kill her.

She wouldn't be surprised if her soulless body in the Vampire Realm could have felt Luxen's embrace by the evidence of a cracked ribcage.

She sighed in relief when Luxen let go of her.

"Farewell, wife." Ravin also stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her gently as if she was a fragile little thing.

Shaking her head, Luna realized it was so different from the way Luxen had manhandled her.

He smirked, "You will be safer with Sloth than us."

Luna just had to voice out the question that had bothered her for so long ever since the Archdemon of Sloth arrived.

"So, what's inside that egg behind your back?"

"All of us will be leaving now to return to our own Circles." Ignoring her, Queen Jezebel announced in a lofty tone, and the entire skeletal servant bowed their heads in respect.

The other Archdemons also lowered their head.

Grimacing, Luna curtsied awkwardly so that she wouldn't appear so out-of-place.

She sighed when the Archdemon of Sloth pulled her closer to his winged horse.

Luna almost teared up when she remembered Apollyon as she rode with him after the sword duels.

"Why do you need the winged horse if you have Archdemon wings like mine?" Rubbing her moist eyes, Luna asked as Sloth got on his dark stallion smoothly with his wings' help.

As Sloth assisted her by holding her upper arm, Luna placed one foot to the stirrup and got on the horse in front of him.

"My name is my answer."

"Oh." Luna nodded. "Alright."

"I'm tired. I just got off the horse, and now I had to ride it again." Brows knitting together, Sloth complained. "I shouldn't have moved at all."

"Ah." She agreed. "True."

"Have you ever been outdoors just before a storm?"